The Last Sunset (1961)

it is not the best word but includes the atmosphere, the flavor of old classic western, the sentimental scenes , the acting and the tension between characters, the end and the message, the few images who defines a kind of magic and, sure, the performances. it is little more than a western - seems be more profound by many movies of genre - and it has the virtue of interesting meeting, Kirk Douglas and Rock Hudson in admirable exploration of roles nuances. a film about past, love and justice. about subtle links between people. and, sure, about hope. a good occasion to remember values and art of great actors.a beautiful film. not the greatest but useful for rediscover the spirit of a special art to do a good film - the recipes of Robert Aldrich seems be unique.

Brendan O'Malley (Kirk Douglas) is a wanted man in Texas--that's why he's in Mexico when the film begins. A sheriff, Dana Stribling (Rock Hudson) has come from Texas looking to bring O'Malley back to face justice. It's not just because he's a lawman but because the man O'Malley shot was Stribling's brother-in-law.O'Malley comes upon a ranch run by the Breckinridges. Mrs. Breckinridge (Dorothy Malone) is a woman O'Malley loved many, many years ago. Now here is where the plot gets rather goofy--O'Malley agrees to help Mr. Breckinridge (Joseph Cotten) take his cattle to market...in Texas! This would mean exposing himself to arrest! But the plot only gets weirder-- Stribling soon arrives and signs on to help in this cattle drive!! And it's assumed when they get to Texas, Stribling will see O'Malley hang. So why does O'Malley continue with the drive?!?! Sure, he wants Mrs. Breckinridge--but why can't he just stop in Mexico and stay there?!Later, the film does get interesting. Over time, Stribling and O'Malley grow to like each other and you really don't know what they will do in Texas. Additionally, when Mrs. Breckinridge rejects O'Malley, the Breckingridge daughter, Missy (Carole Lynley) proclaims her love for O'Malley--even though he's old enough to be her father. In fact, that IS what happens--he learns that he's her father. Now this made the ending confusing--why would O'Malley deliberately goad Stribling into killing him?! Now IF O'Malley has had sex with Missy, then this would have made a lot more sense--a rare case where I wish that an older film had been a lot more explicit and creepy. This twist would have made the ending make a lot more sense. As it is, however, it just doesn't make a lot of sense.

The hunter and hunted plot has been used in many a Western movie. Some have been exceptional films – "The Searchers" with John Wayne, Jeffrey Hunter and Natalie Wood; Charles Bronson and Henry Fonda in "Once Upon a Time in West;" and James Stewart and others in "The Man from Laramie." Many such films become formulaic but still manage to entertain for their suspense, scenery and frequent action with gun play – if not for their acting. "The Last Sunset" isn't in the top tier of such Westerns, but it's not far off. Where this film excels is in its cast of notable roles and in the different twists from the usual plot of hunter-hunted films. There are just enough twists here to give it a refreshing feel. To say much more would be to give away the plot and enjoyment on first viewing. Suffice it in this review to draw attention to the difference in the usual theme, and to note something on the quality. The acting is very good all around. Joseph Cotton, Dorothy Malone and Carol Lynley give first rate performances. As Dana Stribling, Rock Hudson is an unusual character in his politeness and decency. He plays his role with a seeming ease and almost aloofness that seems to fit nicely in the plot. As Bren O'Malley, Kirk Douglas is also unusual as the bad guy. He doesn't fit the frequent mold of crude, dumb, or barbaric cowboy. He does a great job in the diverse emotions he portrays from one scene to the next. I agree with some other reviewers who note Douglas' performance as exceptional. While Douglas wasn't in the small group of handsome leading men of the Hollywood studios of his time, he was nevertheless a handsome, popular and very talented actor. In his movie prime, he played a variety of roles, with as many characterizations. Only later would he slip into a general characterization. He won one Golden Globe for acting ("Lust for Life," 1957), and received two more GG nominations and three Academy Award nominations. He's among a considerable list of outstanding actors who have never won an Oscar. "The Last Sunset" is an interesting and very good Western that I think most movie fans would enjoy a great deal.

"The Last Sunset" (1961) rates in the top 30-40% among Hollywood's Westerns. The No.1 reason is Kirk Douglas' altogether credible, nuanced acting as the villain you both love to hate and almost love. Douglas' Brendan 'Bren' O'Malley is a man who practically makes black grey. This is all the more surprising when one catches the ongoing, disturbing incestuous subtext between the O'Malley character and his daughter/lover. The No.2 reason that makes "The Last Sunset" a good film is the sulfurous Dorothy Malone. Her powerful, on screen sexuality is thoroughly charismatic and satisfying – without the need to show off feminine flesh or unduly flirt. The film's directing is surprisingly mundane. Joseph Cotten's character of John Breckinbridge shows that Cotten at this stage in his career couldn't act his way out of the paper bag his bad booze comes in. While Rock Hudson is his usual big, lumpy self. He's a statue that talks and "no rock" -- to paraphrase both James Dean & Doris Day on this embarrassingly awful actor. In spite of the film's standard cattle drive story, ordinary setting, and almost ordinary story line – it rises above its limitations, carried there on the artful shoulders of two fine actors (K. Douglas and D. Malone); and, not forgetting, a use of photography that lingers just a satisfying moment too long on their disturbing, penetrating features.